In the Spirit of Friendship
by Azure Blue Flames
Summary: After assassins attack the royal family, Azula meets up with Mai and Ty Lee when she is sent to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls.  The next few months will test the strength of their friendship – and determine whether it can be called friendship at all.
1. Prologue

In the Spirit of Friendship

Prologue

The fires below him rose high, higher perhaps than the speaker himself. It was a rare occurrence for Ozai to make the memorial speech, but once in a while he left the palace to reassure the population that he cared about them, or at least, that he recognized that his soldiers were dying.

It was also one of the few occasions that the Crown Prince and Princess made a public appearance, standing solemnly by their father's side. Their two silhouettes were barely noticeable, insignificant beside Ozai's presence, his words, his own shifting shadow. So the people watched Ozai, and they listened to him the one day he spoke directly to the crowds.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation, we have gathered here today to honor our valiant soldiers and remember their glory both in life and in death," he had started, and the crowd had fallen silent in respect.

They had stayed silent through slow, timeless hours as the pyres flickered, flames dancing off into the sunset. Ozai spoke, and Lo spoke, and Li spoke, and even Iroh said his piece, quietly, reverently. And now the ceremony was about to come to a close.

"They may have died, but they have not died in vain. Each fallen soldier has brought us closer to victory. And we shall have this victory!" Ozai shouted. "We fight to bring our prosperity and our civilization to the lowly Earth Kingdom barbarians. We fight with _honor_, with the _very spirits_ on our side! _We cannot lose!_"

The audience dissolved into cheers and applause, thankful to ease the heavy tension. Sure, they heard the words every year, but hearing them from the mouth of the Fire Lord made them seem real, more than another set of false promises.

But in the moment of celebration, disaster struck.

A slight tremor shook the Fire Lord's platform, and then an explosion of earth shattered the hastily erected boards. Out of the spray of debris, a group of earthbenders flowed into a close formation. Their leader gave a signal to attack and panic broke loose in the crowd.

People stampeded left and right, spreading the fire from pyre to clothes to buildings. The orderly gathering became a mob, trampling anything and everything to flee the threat. In the center of it all, a fight broke out between the royal guards and the earthbenders. First Iroh joined them, and then Ozai lent his fire to the melee.

Azula and Zuko, however, had been told to hide and be very, very quiet.

"Come on Azula, we should go help Dad!" Zuko whispered, nudging his sister.

"Shut up, Zuzu, we'd just get in the way" she hissed back, eyes intent on the chaos. Zuko joined her at the edge of the rubble they were hiding behind, peeking out as pebbles streaked by.

"But what if Dad dies? What if Uncle dies?" Zuko shivered at the thought. "What if-"

"Then you'll be Fire Lord," Azula replied curtly. "Now stop it, or they'll notice us."

"Me? But I can't be-"A blast of fire snarled over their heads, and both children ducked.

"See? I told you to watch out." Another fireball impacted nearby, its light illuminating Azula's eyes in a disturbing fashion. "Of course, if you died here, I would be the next in line for the throne…"

"Not funny, Azula," Zuko glared at her in return.

"No one would ever find out. Just one little push-" She flicked Zuko in the shoulder. "And I would be set for life."

"Hey!" he yelped, pushing her back. Taken by surprise, Azula let out a slight squeak as she hit the ground.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Here." Zuko offered his hand. His sister took it, and then both froze, realizing they had left the shelter of the debris. As they paused for a heartbeat, one of the earthbenders happened to look their way. Zuko met his gaze, frightened, and then slid into a fighting stance of his own.

The earthbender launched a cascade of rocks in their direction, and both Azula and Zuko dived away. Now that she was in the open, Azula countered with a small fireball, and Zuko tackled the man's legs. Neither proved to be effective, and the earthbender merely laughed as he kicked Zuko back, punching another chunk of earth toward Azula. She danced away, then jumped onto the remnants of the scaffolding.

Meanwhile, Zuko struggled to his feet and tried to conjure a whip of fire. His attempt went wild, the intended whip swirling into an uncontrolled wave. Through sheer luck he managed to aim the blaze at the earthbender, singing the bottom of the man's robe. However, this only enraged the older man. With a guttural grunt, the earthbender slammed his foot into the ground, producing a minor earthquake that made Zuko stumble and the scaffolding completely collapse, trapping Azula beneath it.

The earthbender noticed and stepped forward with a smile as Azula tugged ineffectively at the piece of wood pinning her to the rubble. Zuko shouted out to warn her, and she looked up defiantly, readying another fire blast.

"You're a feisty one for your age," the eathbender mocked, and he punched a rock into Azula's free hand, trapping it down as well. "It's a pity you had to be Fire Nation. I can't leave you alive, you see."

"No! Azula!" He may not have liked his sister, but Zuko wouldn't just let her die without a fight. "Take this!" he screamed at the earthbender.

The green robed man batted away the wisp of fire without even bending, not even bothering to turn around. "Wait your turn, boy. I'll get to you in a minute."

Suddenly, flames roared from the earthbender's left. He cried out and dropped to the ground, desperately trying to put out the fire on his robe.

Iroh frowned, but before he had a chance to move again, Ozai sent another blast of fire toward the unlucky earthbender. This one seared through the man's neck, and the earthbender writhed, half- screaming, half-gurgling, then fell silent as Iroh stepped in to make the killing blow.

"Are you alright?" he asked Zuko, who ran up and hugged Iroh in relief, trying to blot the earthbender's death from his memory.

"We're fine, Uncle," Azula answered for her brother. She looked around the impromptu battlefield. "What happened to the rest of the earthbenders?"

"They left the way they came," Ozai said disparagingly. "They saw they were outmatched, so they burrowed away."

"They might be back." Iroh gestured to the walls of the caldera. "If they were able to get in here, even the palace might not be safe." He patted Zuko's head. "We need a place where you two won't be harmed."

He looked to Ozai for an answer, but the Fire Lord shrugged carelessly. "If they can't keep quiet, it's their fault if they get killed."

Iroh held Zuko tighter. "If you persist with this attitude, brother, you won't have any heirs left."

"We might have a solution." Two new voices chorused as their owners stepped forward into the circle of light.

Lo said, "We think,"

Li said, "You should send them to the Royal Fire Academies."

**.o.O*O.o.**


	2. Arrival

In the Spirit of Friendship

**.o.O. A/N .O.o.**

Hello, I'm Azure, and welcome to _In the Spirit of Friendship_. There's a few questions I need to clear up before this gets any further.

First (and obviously the most important ;P), **what are the ships?**

This is meant to be canon compliant, so there's a some budding Maiko, but that's it.

Second, **when does this take place?**

The fall before Zuko's banishment. He's 13, Azula and Ty Lee are 11, and Mai is 12. Note that none of them are at their peak abilities yet. Azula, for example, doesn't have her blue fire right now.

Thirdly, **will there be OCs?**

Yes, unfortunately. Three notable ones, plus random background people of course. But the story will always be about Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, not them.

And finally, **thank you to Jiao-Jie **for beta reading!

**.o.O. **Arrival** .O.o.**

The morning fog had barely faded before trumpets rent the air, announcing Azula and her entourage to the empty schoolyard. Within a minute, attendants swarmed the palanquins like ants, then bustled away to carry the princess's things into the mouth of the large building in the center of the courtyard.

Azula parted the curtains quietly, unsure whether she was supposed to appear yet. Usually people came to fetch her, apologizing profusely for interrupting whatever she had been doing at the time.

_Perhaps this man?_ she wondered. One of the attendants scurried up and darted from side to side, hesitant to approach a palanquin. He finally backed away and talked to another servant, this one wearing a more ornate uniform. _Probably the head servant._ However, it wasn't Azula's concern, and she sat back on the pillow, resigned to a long wait.

It had been a strange night, and now a strange day. After the attack, Azula was whisked away to the capital's port, then immediately shipped to the island where the Academies were located. She couldn't remember the name of the island, or if anyone had bothered to tell her at all. It was just one more thing for her to figure out, then; shouldn't be too hard. That's what maps were for.

A more pressing issue was the elderly woman who had appeared with another gaggle of attendants. Azula watched as the woman paused, breathing heavily, and then thrust aside Lo's palanquin curtains.

"Why, Li, I haven't seen you for years!" the woman exclaimed.

"Actually…" The real Li stepped out from the thick cloth on the last palanquin. "I'm Li."

"And I'm Lo," added the first twin.

"Oh, well," bumbled the woman in the rich clothes. "You know I could never tell you two apart." She smiled warmly.

"Sara, it has been ages. " Lo and Li smiled in return, but the expression was fleeting.

Li went on alone: "We have important news from the capital."

"You may have gotten a hawk detailing the latest attack by the earthbenders," said Lo.

'Sara' shook her head. "No, but the servants are all buzzing with gossip. Is it true? Is the princess…?"

"Yes," chorused the twins. "And her brother is at the Boy's Academy."

"Excellent!" the woman trilled. "Why, it must have been over a hundred years since the last princess enrolled here. Now another one? Think of the prestige she will bring…"

Azula shifted slightly and sighed. At this rate, it would take the rest of the day to get in the school proper. The three women chattered on, reliving some old days they had shared when they went to the school. Then they started on the current gossip of the palace. Obviously, if she didn't do something –

The conversation had abruptly ceased. "You don't say," the woman ventured after an awkward silence.

"Yes, right during the speeches, too," furthered Li.

"Is there any chance they would attack…here? "

"Almost certainly not," Lo reassured her.

"Well, then." The woman stopped fretting and nodded toward Azula's palanquin. "I suppose it's time I met my newest pupil."

_Teacher?_ Azula had time to think, and then the woman roughly jerked the curtains aside. The sudden light made Azula blink, disoriented. Instead of waiting, the woman quickly pushed Azula onto her feet and took a pace backward.

"My, you're quite…" She faltered in the face of Azula's cold stare. "…Bright for your age? I mean, I've heard you're a child prodigy…"

"Yes," Azula answered sharply, then relaxed her guard. "Father says I'm ready to fight in the war if I really wanted to."

"Ah, very good, very good." The woman nodded her head in time to the words. "Of course, I'm sure your esteemed father thinks well of you, but it's a little early for you to start fighting." She chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

"No," said Azula. "Zuz – Zuko says the same thing but that's 'cause he's ashamed that he's so bad at firebending."

"Oh." The woman seemed nonplussed. "Well, then." After a second, though, the cheery, motherly demeanor was back. "That's nice, I'm sure. Now, what was I doing?"

"Welcoming the princess," one of the twins whispered.

"Oh, yes. I'm Headmistress Saraswati." She bowed, wincing as she bent over. "I am honored to accept you as my student, Princess. Welcome to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls."

Azula inclined her head in recognition, inwardly memorizing the name with the face. If she read the situation right, she would be in for a long stay under this woman's hand. She'd better to get to know the people in charge, and quickly.

"Now, I'll just discuss your classes with Lo and Li here, and you're free to go make friends with the other girls." The headmistress waved Azula toward the enormous door. "Have fun!"

Azula mounted the shallow stairs leading up to the center building in the courtyard.

"She's...rather strange, isn't she?" Saraswati's voice floated back from the cluster of palanquins. "I've heard the Fire Lord thinks highly of her, but what about that rumor – you know, from a few years back…"

Azula pushed the door open and entered the Academy.

**.o.O*O.o.**

Her first impression was that the hall was large.

Her second was that it was not large, it was enormous, and that the floor was carpeted with milling students. Each one added to the sound level, and the echoes reflected their words into crashes of meaningless noise.

Azula stayed near the door, struggling to take in the sounds and the sights, but most of all the people. She had been to parties and banquets at the palace; they were subdued affairs. Only those who had the Fire Lord's trust got close enough to talk to her, and they were adults, uninterested except to coo over her precocious abilities.

Finally she pushed her way into the shallows of the throng, ignoring the angry glares of some of the older girls she brushed by. Here she could watch the social dynamics in action, girls spinning off one group into another. Perhaps the best way to start was by finding the center of these maneuverings, if there even was one.

"Azula!" came a squeal from behind her, and arms suddenly locked around her chest. "Mai, get over here, it's Azula!"

The princess shook off her captor and turned to face her, glad to find something familiar in these new surroundings. "I see you're just as pink as ever Ty Lee."

"Ooh, can you see auras now?" The girl in pink beamed happily at her friend, then grabbed Azula again and tugged her toward the depths of the gathered students. "Come on, we have to find Mai!"

"I'm right here, you know." A shadow detached from a nearby column, the filtered sunlight catching her glossy black hair. "I saw Azula when she first came in."

"Why didn't you say hello?" Ty Lee asked, taking the words out of Azula's mouth. "This year'll be great, with all three of us here for once!"

"Yeah, the teachers won't know what hit them," Mai deadpanned. "How's the palace been?"

Azula smirked a little, understanding the real question immediately. "Zuzu's fine, if a little bruised from the fight yesterday."

"Fight?" Ty Lee's bubbliness toned down a notch, something only her closest friends could pick up. "You and Zuko didn't hurt each other, did you?" Ty Lee cast Azula a worried glance, trying to see if she sported any burns.

"Actually, we weren't fighting each other. Just some earthbender." She shrugged deprecatingly.

"Oh no! Did you win?"

Mai shook her head. "Ty Lee, do you think she'd be here if she lost?"

"I dunno." The girl twirled around on one foot, then halted thoughtfully. "Maybe the guy won but decided he didn't want to hurt her. Or maybe he just ran away after a while."

"Uncle killed him," Azula stated flatly. "There were others, so I have to stay here while Dad smokes them out. It shouldn't take too long."

"Awww, but you just got here. You should stay for a while. Right, Mai?"

"Sure," Mai sighed. "At least the classes will be more interesting."

"Hey, you two!" A girl about Azula's age walked up to the trio. "Are you going to play with us or not?"

The princess moved back, confused. "Who's this?"

"Oh, you must be new." The girl either didn't recognize her, or was very good at faking indifference. "I'm Jia, Mai and I shared some classes last year. But I suppose you wouldn't know that."

_I do now, thank you_. "I thought you didn't like playing silly games, Mai."

The dark-haired girl started to speak, but was cut off by the newcomer. "Oh, I don't play _silly_, common games. My friends and I," she gestured vaguely at some well-dressed older girls, "are the real elite here. Mai comes from one of the highest noble families, and she's part of our group." She seemed enthusiastic at the thought, but her voice faded into apathy again. "So, where're you from."

Azula mentally bristled at Jia's tone, but held her temper in check. This girl obviously liked being at the top, and she'd be in for an amusing shock when Azula rearranged the social order._ Might_ _as well take her down a few notches right now._ "I'm the princess."

Instead of prostrating herself in apology, Jia just snickered. "What, like Anzi?"

_Another name to remember._ "And who's-"

"No, the _real_ princess," Ty Lee hastily chimed in.

"You know, like the Fire Lord's daughter," Mai added, suppressing a smile.

"Wait, seriously? This little kid is actually-" The girl backtracked swiftly, alarmed at the implications. "Er, I mean, welcome to the school, your, um, highness. I hope I can be of service…"

Azula waited, and Jia looked desperate to be anywhere but where she was standing. Her face flushed as she hurriedly remembered to kowtow_. That's somewhat better_.

The princess let the girl sit there for a minute, inspecting her fingernails. "Oh, don't get too bent out of shape. I wouldn't want to impose on someone of your status. I'll just have _my_ friends show me around."

"Oh, um, okay!" Jia practically fled back into the crowd.

"Azula, you didn't have to do that," Ty Lee reproached her.

"Yes, I suppose I could have gotten more information out of her."

"Trust me; she wouldn't have been very helpful." Mai leaned against one of the pillars, more at ease without Jia's presence. "So, you want us to show you around?"

**.o.O*O.o.**

The Royal Fire Academy was a sprawling complex, and the trio barely had time to dip into the different class wings before a harsh bell sounded.

"That's the bell that announces roll call in the dormitories." Mai glanced over her shoulder at Azula. "Did the headmistress assign you a room?"

"No, she barely said anything to me."

Ty Lee grinned. "Great, there's an empty bunk in our room, you can have that. I'm sure Swatter won't mind." She raced off in the direction of a low building they hadn't explored yet.

"Share…?"

"You'll get used to it," said Mai. "No one gets separate rooms."

Both girls trailed behind Ty Lee, who waited at the entrance to the dormitory wing.

"Slowpokes," she teased, then pushed the door open, revealing a room similar to the entrance hall, only on a smaller scale.

Inside were fifty or so other girls, lined up in rows. A young woman was standing in the center, calling out names. She looked up as Ty Lee, Azula, and Mai filed in, frowning at their tardiness.

"I hope you have a good reason for taking your time. Sit down or you'll get into even more trouble."

"What!" squeaked Ty Lee. "We aren't even late, the bell didn't-"

Azula cut her off, knowing the excuse wasn't going to win them any points with a woman like this. Instead, she put on her most angelic expression. "I'm sorry, I'm new and I asked my friends to show me around the Academy."

The woman gave her a blank look. "Just because you're new doesn't mean you can wander around campus without supervision."

"Yeah, it's not safe, and besides, it's disrespectful to ignore the bells," a girl piped up from the front row.

"Yes, Anzi." The woman seemed cross for a second, but she couldn't find fault in a recital of the rules.

"I don't think you understand. I'm Azula. Look me up on your list." A ripple of murmurs washed through the room, but the woman in the center was completely oblivious.

"Let's see… A's… An … I'm afraid there isn't an Azula on the roll book." She peered over the top of her glasses. "Now, if you'll just come with me…"

"Umm… Ms. Liao?" The girl from the front row had a piece of paper in her hand. "I think this fell off when you turned the page."

The woman snatched the scrap out of the girl's hand, holding it up so she could read it. As she mouthed something to herself, the blood drained out of her face. "Everyone, please be good. I need to go talk with the headmistress." She walked briskly out of the room, leaving a trail of curiosity in her wake.

When she closed the door, all eyes turned on Azula and her friends. Ty Lee waved and did a handstand, trying to break the ice. No one laughed.

"Um, are you named after the Fire Lord's daughter?" asked a nearby girl.

A girl with pigtails hushed her. "I think she _is_ his daughter."

"Anzi's gonna lose her nickname, then."

Ty Lee seemed worried and Mai had that same half-smile, but Azula was getting tired of hearing her title mentioned in respect to another girl. Pigtails and the other girl stopped talking, and Azula scanned the rest of the students behind them. _She was somewhere near the front, I believe…_

_There._ The girl had heard her name and stepped out of the cluster, twin braids bobbing at her shoulders. She approached Azula with a cheerful expression that mimicked Ty Lee's, but where Ty Lee was transparently happy, this girl was superficial.

"Hi, I'm Anzi!" She blinked, summoning up a sickening display of cuteness.

"Yes, so I heard." Well, Azula could match her at false politeness, if she wanted to play that game.

"People usually call me princess. You don't mind, do you?"

"Actually" Azula flicked her bangs out of her eyes, feigning diffidence. "I think there's only room for once princess."

"Well, I don't suppose a lot of people call you by your title, do they." Anzi traced a circle on the ground with her shoe. "Azula's a pretty name, I guess. Mine's kinda boring"

"Really? I'd suggest you use it more often."

Mai and Ty Lee had softly slipped into the audience, leaving the two girls to stand up by themselves.

"Oh, I don't know. The other girls like my nickname."

Azula looked around, but no one stepped forward to back Anzi up. "That's just too bad. I'm sure they won't want to get us mixed up."

"Hmm… can't you use another title? I mean, you've probably got lots to choose from, right? Or, I know," she giggled, "I'll give you a nickname too."

_This girl doesn't take hints very well, does she?_ "No thanks."

"Awww…come on, be nice!" Anzi simpered.

Azula shrugged. "I'm not a nice person." Suddenly she snapped out her hands, calling fire into her open palms. Anzi shrieked and jumped back, tripping over.

"W-We're not allowed to firebend in the dormitories," she stammered, edging away from the orange flames.

"I'm the princess, and I say we can. Are you a bender?"

"Um, yes?" Azula's smirk widened. "I mean no, no, I can't really bend, just a little! I can only do sparks, please! I can't really fight or anything!"

"Girls, stop that immediately!" Headmistress Saraswati stormed into the room. "Azula, I expected better behavior from you. Don't ever let me catch you firebending in here again!" She glared around at the frightened students, ending on Azula's unflinching gaze. "Is that clear?"

The princess held her eyes for a second, then bowed slightly. "Yes, Headmistress. I promise I won't do it again."

Ty Lee and Mai glanced at each other, knowing Azula's habits, but the headmistress seemed satisfied. "Well, that's settled."

"Yes, Headmistress."

"I see you've found your way to the dormitories, at least. Now, does anyone have a free bunk in their room?"

Ty Lee raised her hand. "Alright, then. You're sharing with Ty Lee and," she searched the room. "Well, whoever Ty Lee's also sharing with. Have fun, girls!"

She strode out the door as quickly as she had entered. As her heavy footsteps died away, the young woman with the glasses stepped inside, carrying the role book.

"I'll just finish roll call, and you girls can get settled in your rooms. Anzi?"

"Here!"

"Azula?"

"Here!"

**.o.O*O.o.**


	3. The First Day of School

In the Spirit of Friendship

**.o.O. A/N .O.o.**

Two quick things:

(1) Azula and Ty Lee will be switching off for a few chapters. Mai will get her own parts later on.

(2) The Academy's system has each student take five classes: Etiquette, Calligraphy, History, Fighting / Gym, and one their parents choose out of Music, Sewing, or a study period with private tutors. Recess is between the second and third classes and the entire grade is put in the same fighting class. The first day is shortened because everyone has to get sorted and assigned the classes.

**.o.O.** The First Day of School **.O.o.**

Ty Lee skipped down the hallway, humming a tune to herself. The first day of school! Even Anzi and Jia couldn't spoil it.

And with Azula here, things were definitely looking up. Ty Lee had never met anyone quite like Azula at getting her way, and that could go very wrong, but in Ty Lee's world, there was a bright side to everything. In any case, Azula added a certain spice to life, her flame-like aura burning away whatever opposed her. Even if she was a little harsh sometimes, Ty Lee would rather bask in her light than be stifled under the cloudy miasma of her sisters.

Mai was nice too, if a bit prickly. Ty Lee was a little scared that she would get cut whenever she hugged the pale girl, but cheering Mai up would be worth it every time. Nothing was better than seeing her silver-grey aura splash with happy pink.

So Ty Lee was happy, and she was determined to stay happy today, tomorrow, and for the rest of her life. She pushed open the door to her room, happy to see it again, of course.

_Huh?_ One of the servants must have tidied up since she was here last year. All of Ty Lee's personal touches had disappeared, returning the chamber to its original bland state. Mai tried to edge past her, but Ty Lee blocked the doorway.

"They took all our stuff!"

Mai was unhelpfully apathetic. "Too bad about your stuffed animals."

"Oh no!" Ty Lee smacked her forehead. "I knew I was forgetting something last year! Poor Mr. Cuddlypoops. He must be so lonely without me."

"By now he's probably dead in some trash heap. " Azula rolled her eyes. "Let me in, will you?"

Ty Lee finally moved aside, the picture of dejection. _Poor Mr. Cuddlypoops. Azula just doesn't understand. But maybe… _The pink-clad acrobat flopped down on one of the beds, sniffling.

Azula peered down from her perch on the bed overhead. "Stop it, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee just sniffled louder, imagining her aura to be a deep, tearful blue.

"Mai, tell her to shut up."

"What, am I her mother now? You made her cry, you fix it."

Azula shot her a murderous glare, but climbed down to Ty Lee's bed anyway. "Hush. Look, you can get another stuffed animal." She seemed more sarcastic than sincere, but Ty Lee decided that it was a step in the right direction.

_Must be my lucky day! _Azula seemed more vulnerable when she was insecure with her surroundings, so Ty Lee played up the pathos, making puppy-monkey eyes. "Will you help me choose one at the market? Pleeeease?"

Steel flickered in the princess's eyes. "No."

_Guess that was a little too much to hope for._ Ty Lee hugged her anyway, then bounced off the bed to the dresser. _Let's change the subject._

"So…we have…" Ty Lee opened one of the drawers and pulled out a uniform. "Red…" She tossed it aside, then pulled out something from the next drawer. "Red…" She yanked out the last piece of clothing. "And not pink."

"Ty Lee, you check every year, and it never changes." Mai sighed from her bunk.

"So? I can dream."

"Well, I call the red one," Azula said, picking up a uniform Ty Lee had discarded.

"I call a red one too!" Ty Lee chirped, grabbing it as she cartwheeled.

Mai finally got up. "And that leaves me with…not pink."

Ty Lee giggled, kicking off her shoes and zipping into the bathroom. "Don't open the door, okay?"

"Yeah, whatev-" The door slammed, and Mai gave up. "I can't believe I've put up with you this long."

Ty Lee sat on the countertop, grinning. Mai was all bark, no bite really. Now, how to put on this uniform…

A few minutes later, Ty Lee preened in front of the mirror. The school uniforms weren't exactly flattering, but in Ty Lee's mind, she always looked good. Still, she harbored hope that one day they'd make a mistake and she'd get a pink uniform instead of the nondescript dark red. She'd have her favorite color _and_ be totally unique. The other girls would be green with envy.

"Ty Lee, aren't you done yet?" Azula's voice jerked Ty Lee out of the daydream.

"Oh, sorry!" She burst into the room, almost running into the princess. "Whoops!"

Azula merely glowered at her, then looked away. "Tell me how you tied the sash," she commanded.

"Hmmm…! Oh, you mean this?" Ty Lee ran her fingers through the wide ribbon around her waist. "Um, you're not really supposed to make a fancy bow like I did, just make sure the design-thingy is in front."

Azula nodded and closed the door behind her. Ty Lee heard the click of the lock. _Sheesh, she doesn't trust us with anything!_

Ah, well, think positive. Maybe she'd have to work to get Azula to remember what "friend" meant, but the princess'd get it in the end. At least Mai never forgot.

_Speaking of which ...or thinking…_ "What're your classes, Mai?"

The black-haired girl took a short scroll off the desk. "I doubt we have any together."

"Aww, but you never know until you look." Ty Lee picked up the scroll with her own name on it. She broke off the wax seal, unrolling the thin paper. "Let's see, I have Calligraphy first."

"What a surprise. So do I." She didn't seem especially pleased, but then, this was Mai.

Ty Lee put the scroll on the floor and sank into a perfect split. "Where's Azula's scroll? Maybe we'll all be in the same class together!"

"What scroll? Oh, it's your turn, Mai." Azula carefully placed her original clothes in the dresser, doing her best not to get them wrinkled. Ty Lee saw that she was folding them the wrong way, but decided not to speak up. There was a time and place for everything, and keeping the princess in a good mood was more important right now.

"I guess you don't have your classes assigned yet. Mai and I have our scrolls, but I don't see yours."

Azula gave her a sharp look. _What, does she think I stole it?_ "You'll have to go talk to Ms. Liao. She's in charge of the schedules."

"And she would be…" Azula prompted, crossing her arms.

"Somewhere downstairs to the left." Ty Lee touched her head to the ground, then rolled over and sat up. "You want me to come with you?"

"I think I'll find my way faster without you."

Ty Lee shrugged. "Suit yourself." She leaned backwards into a bridge, and by the time she got up, Azula was gone.

**.o.O*O.o.**

Ty Lee's paper was covered in doodles already, and it was only ten minutes into Calligraphy. She couldn't help it. It wasn't her fault the ink had spattered, and that the blob kinda looked like a dragon, so she had to draw the volcano in the background. And the warrior. And the girl with a crown, but Ty Lee was pretty sure it wasn't a princess, because Azula would be fighting the dragon, not waiting on the sidelines.

_Whoever made up that story must never have met an actual princess_, she thought, twirling her brush into random spirals. _I wonder how she and Mai're doing..._

Mai, at least, she could talk to when the teacher wasn't looking, which was basically the whole class.

"Hey," Ty Lee scooted her paper onto Mai's desk. "What do you think?"

"I think you're going to get us both in trouble." She quickly covered her own paper, but not before Ty Lee had seen some black marks.

"Come on, let me see yours. I know I saw you drawing…"

Mai grimaced, then showed the acrobat a tiny picture of a young boy.

"D'aww… is that Zuko?"

Mai nodded, and Ty Lee could see her aura blush reddish pink, just like the girl's cheeks.

"It's so cute! You're really getting good, you know!"

A corner of Mai's mouth flicked upwards, and she leaned in to speak.

"Ty Lee, I don't see writing!" The teacher suddenly swooped down to T y Lee's desk, pinning down her drawing with a pointer. "A_ha_! I thought you weren't on task!

Ty Lee cringed back as the woman inspected her paper. "Um, well, I got the first part done, it's just…"

"You can't focus." The teacher sighed, but didn't seem too angry. "I understand, it's the first day and all. But I can't have you distracting other students, Ty Lee. If this happens again, I'll move your seat."

_How did she even see me anyway?_ Ty Lee wondered. _She never looks at the back of the room._

It didn't take her long to figure out the answer. Anzi stuck out her tongue two seats over, then held up a flawless paper for the teacher to see.

**.o.O*O.o.**

"Sit down!" ordered the new Etiquette teacher. Everyone sat.

"No, you're doing it wrong. Get up!" Everyone got up, confused. Ty Lee had never heard of a proper way to sit down, and she glanced around to find Mai only to remember that the knife-thrower wasn't in this class with her. She'd miss the girl's knowledge on formalities, that's for sure.

"We have a real, live princess at the school now, and I don't want to see you slobs mess up and give her a bad impression!" the teacher barked. "Now you." She pointed to Ty Lee. "You've been to the palace; show them how to do it."

"Me?" Ty Lee racked her brain, clueless. "Uh…maybe" _Think!_ "You have to do it like this?" She folded her body gracefully, then flipped head over heels, landing with her legs crossed in perfect posture.

The teacher's stern expression dissolved into a burst of laughter. "Nice try, kid. Do you perform? You remind me of my understudy from the Ember Island Theatre." She winked at the rest of the class. "Everyone, go ahead and sit down, any way you like. That was a trick question."

The students sat, relieved.

"I'm Ms. Jing Ju, by the way. I want to get to know your names, so we're going to play a game."

Ty Lee's ears picked up the sound of footsteps in the hallway and she watched, distracted, as the door creaked open.

"Push your desks into a circle and-" The teacher finally noticed that everyone else was also watching something behind her.

"The headmistress and Ms. Liao just finished with my schedule. She says I'm supposed to be in this class."

Ms. Jing Ju hastily motioned for the students to bow, and stepped forward to take a slip of paper from Azula's hand.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise!" She skimmed the paper, then crumpled it and tossed the ball onto her desk. "Welcome to my Etiquette class, although I doubt you or anyone else here really needs it. Why don't you sit over there, near your friend?"

Ty Lee waved and patted the spot next to her in the circle. Azula walked over, and the other girls parted to let her through.

"As I was saying, I want you each to introduce yourself. Then, bow like this," She demonstrated, placing her fist under her palm and bending slightly. "To the next person in the circle. Princess, you start."

Azula rose, said her name and did a perfunctory bow to Ty Lee, who giggled. _It's so weird being in the same class! _She quickly put a hand over her mouth, hoping Azula wasn't offended.

The princess didn't say anything, nor did Ms. Jing Ju. _Oh, right, my turn!_

"Hiya, I'm Ty Lee!" She bowed to the next girl over, then sat down with Azula.

"I can't believe we're in the same class," she whispered as the next girl said her name.

Azula raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe it either."

**.o.O*O.o.**

When the bell rang for recess, Ty Lee bounced out of the classroom before Ms. Jing Ju could even say "dismissed." The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and Ty Lee's aura was pink, unlike the dirty gray courtyard.

Even Azula was happy to enjoy the fresh air, or at least, she wasn't frowning or anything. Ty Lee debated whether or not to show her around rest of the campus, eventually deciding to get Mai first.

"Stay here and wait for me!" she yelled over her shoulder, then sprinted off to find her other friend. _Her schedule said History, right? That's on the other side of the school._

However, Ty Lee knew a shortcut that would get her there quickly, if it could be called a shortcut. Ty Lee was the only one who used the rooftops, probably because no one else wanted to get their uniform dirty climbing the trees to get up there.

_Now, where would she be?_ The students had already filed out of the classroom, and Ty Lee couldn't see Mai anywhere from her edge of the roof. She leaped down, catching a window to slow her fall. _Maybe still inside the classroom?_

Ty Lee entered the musty room, breathing in the scent of old books and new maps. When she first came to the Academy, she had been frightened of this room and the crabby old woman who taught here, but she gradually learned to like the class. Ms. Li Shi didn't just teach facts, she had ancient, crackly tomes of legends and fairytales that she sometimes let the class look at.

"Ms. Li Shi? Hello?"

A voice sounded from the depths of the back room. "Yes? Wait, will you? I can't be running about to answer the door at my age!"

The door flew open, and Anzi sauntered out looking smug, followed by Mai and a small woman with a dusty brown aura.

The tattletale halted with a start. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I just came to get Mai." Ty Lee grabbed Mai's arm and pulled her towards the door. "Sorry Ms. Li Shi, but we have to go. The princess is waiting for us."

"What?" the history teacher asked, puzzled. "Anzi? She's right here!"

"You haven't heard? Prin-"

Anzi cut her off. "Actually," she purred sweetly, smiling again. "I told Ty Lee to meet me here this morning. I hope that's okay."

"Yes, you two run along." Ms. Li Shi gestured at the door, ignoring Ty Lee's attempts to speak. "Mai, stay here. I can't have you taking out your knives in my classroom, as Anzi pointed out. If you want them back…"

Ty Lee tried to speak up again, only to be dragged out the door by Anzi. Mai watched her go with a sigh, but made no move to follow.

Outside, and out of Ms. Li Shi's earshot, Ty Lee neatly twisted out of the younger girl's grasp. "What're you doing? Azula's waiting for me and Mai!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry. Since you're friends with Azula, I suppose you don't have time for someone like _me_." Anzi pouted prettily. "I guess I don't matter when there's a real princess at the school."

"Huh?" Ty Lee moved to walk away, but Anzi grabbed her braid.

"Can't you listen to me for five seconds?" She tugged the braid a little harder. "You don't even have the attention span of a butterfly-moth, do you?"

"Hey!" Ty Lee ripped her hair from the girl's hands, confused. _What did I do?_

"I don't understand what our _esteemed _princess sees in you. Surely she doesn't keep you around for your _amazing_ intellect."

Ty Lee's smile faltered for a tiny moment. _Does she want something?_ Usually Anzi ignored her, but today she seemed to have a grudge or something.

Anzi saw the quick change. "Oh, I know! You're her pet! Does she make you do tricks?"

"Yeah, kinda." The acrobat thought about this for a minute. "But she's like that to everyone. You'll end up obeying her too."

Anzi's sugary expression suddenly went brittle. "She can't make me do anything. I'll get her back for stealing my nickname."

"Umm… how? She'll burn you if you try anything," Ty Lee warned.

In the blink of an eye, Anzi was back to being friendly. "Well, that's the problem, so I'll just have to use you and Mai."

"But we didn't do anything!" Ty Lee tried to follow the logic, but couldn't see how Anzi got from 'hurt Ty Lee' to 'get revenge on Azula.' There seemed to be a gap somewhere. _Maybe Azula can explain it to me._

"You're right, I'm sorry." Anzi looked crestfallen, tears abruptly pricking at her eyes. "There's nothing I can do, is there. It wouldn't be fair on you guys, and I can't take on Azula by myself."

"No! Don't cry." Ty Lee felt a pang of sympathy for the little girl. _Azula can be really scary sometimes. Actually… all the time. _"Look, we don't have to be enemies. I could introduce you again, and we could all be friends."

Anzi stared up beseechingly. "Really? Would you, please?"

Ty Lee already regretted her words, but she moved forward to put a hand on Anzi's shoulder. "Yeah, but now right now, okay?"

As she brushed the girl's uniform, Anzi suddenly screamed and clutched her arm. "Teacher, teacher, help! Ty Lee paralyzed me!"

_What?_ One of the school supervisors appeared from behind the corner of a nearby classroom. _Was she listening?_

"Teacher, teacher!" Anzi was on the ground, bawling. Ty Lee took one last look at her, weighed the chances, and scrambled up the nearest tree.

_Annoying little liar!_ she thought, sprinting across the rooftops. The teachers never seemed to see through Anzi's fake tears. It wasn't fair that she could get instant sympathy by pulling that trick.

_I only do that to Azula, and that's different. Right?_

**.o.O*O.o.**

"There you are! Why didn't you come back?" Azula closed the door to their room.

"Oh!" Ty Lee hastily sat up on the bed. "Sorry, I completely forgot!"

The princess frowned. "That's a new record. Have you always been this scatterbrained?"

"No!" Ty Lee snapped back. Azula narrowed her eyes and the acrobat flinched. _Anzi must have gotten to me. Come on, think happy thoughts._ "You don't really mean that, do you?"

"That depends. Are you going to make me wait around for no reason?"

"Oh, lay off it Azula. She just got chased by an angry mob of teachers." Mai walked in, toying with one of her knives.

"A whole mob? That's strange; I seem to have missed it."

Ty Lee smiled a little again. "Well, it was only one teacher. And she didn't even catch me."

"She must have been absolutely furious to be a mob on her own. Whatever did you do?"

"Nothing," chorused both girls.

"I see. Should I be on the lookout for crazy teachers, then?"

"Well, it was Anzi's fault, not mine," Ty Lee explained. "She just started screaming for no reason!"

"One of the teachers heard, and tried to catch Ty Lee," Mai continued. "Don't worry, by the way." She turned to a now grinning Ty Lee. "I followed her, and she gave up after a minute and went to find Anzi, but the kid disappeared. By now, of course, she's told the school her side of the story. Apparently, twenty guards were hot on your heels as well."

Azula ran her fingers through dark bangs. "Sounds like you two had an interesting day."

"No," sighed Mai.

"Of course!" chirped Ty Lee. _And tomorrow will be even better!_

**.o.O*O.o.**


	4. Strategies

In the Spirit of Friendship

**.o.O. A/N .O.o.**

Well, I'm back, but I haven't really been keeping up much with the Avatar fandom since I discovered Touhou. Still, I might as well post this for anyone who had put this story on their Alerts and such. (Was there anyone? It's been so long...)

**.o.O.** Strategies **.O.o.**

"So, you're this new princess everyone's been talking about." The old woman glowered down from her towering desk. "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

Azula mentally sighed. _Here we go again…_"First of all, I've been the princess for three years and second, you need to give me the keys to the stairway."

"You don't have to be so pushy," grumbled the woman. "I'm Ms. Li Shi, by the way." She held out her hand, but Azula ignored it.

"Keys, remember? I'm already running late to my first class."

Ms. Li Shi muttered something, then rooted around behind her desk. "Here." She threw a heavy key ring at the princess. "The door's right next to the section on the Sun Warriors," she added gruffly.

Azula took a last look at the cramped office, cluttered with dusty books and scrolls, then disappeared through the back door into the main library. Lo and Li waved down from a balcony set high into the wall. Now, which was the right key?

Luckily she got it on her fifth try. Ms. Li Shi seemed to have some sort of system, but it was pointless if no one else understood it. And Azula was confident that if she couldn't figure it out in a minute, the system must be faulty. She took the stairs two at a time, making the balcony just as the bell rang.

"We will be your instructors for this hour," said one of the twins.

"Welcome to your first less on in strategy," said the other.

Azula sat in the unoccupied chair at a small table. "I take it the locked door was my first test."

"Err…" started the woman on her left.

"Actually, we forgot you didn't have a key."

"Usually there's no students allowed on this story," they said together. One of them put on a pair of glasses and grabbed a book from the pile in the center of the table.

_Lo doesn't need reading glasses, so that's Li._ Azula picked up a book herself, leafing to a bookmark. "Encyclopedias?"

Li squinted at the title of Azula's book. "That, yes. This one, however," She held up her tome. "is the account of a world traveler."

"We thought it would be best if you learned a little about the cultures of enemy nations before we teach you how to fight them."

Azula traced her finger over the strange symbol in the center of the encyclopedia's page. _Waves?_ "Why the Water Tribes? I thought they weren't even a threat any more."

Lo looked over the young girl's shoulder. "Well, you're right about the Southern Tribe. However, that's a picture of the Northern Tribe's stronghold. It's practically unassailable."

"Yeah, they said that about the Air Temples before the war."

Li heaved a sigh. "Yes, and that's all we really know about the Air Temples, unfortunately."

Lo turned to her sister. "Besides Sozin's account, of course."

"That's nonsense for the commoners!" Li shot back.

"Would you distrust the word of the greatest Fire Lord in history?"

"Would you actually believe it?"

They glared at each other for a minute, the turned back to Azula. "It doesn't matter anyway," ventured Lo.

"You'll never have to fight one," continued Li.

"Back to the Water Tribes," they chorused. Azula hurriedly flipped from the entry on dragons back to the bookmark.

"First, let's dispel some common myths," said Lo. She scanned down the page of her book. "You've heard the stories about Bloodbending and miraculous healings, right?"

"No," Azula replied, curious.

"When we were your age," said Li, "children used to tell horror stories about waterbenders who controlled people like puppets."

"It was like the legend of the Academy's guardian spirit," said Lo.

"Get to classes on time or the spirit will eat you!"

"Don't walk on the beach at night or the Bloodbenders will catch you!"

"Neither of them exist," they finished together.

**.o.O*O.o.**

The bell rang after Etiquette and students poured out of the classrooms into the courtyard. Ty Lee zipped off to find Mai like the day before, leaving Azula to wander the perimeter of the crowd. A few more students recognized her and bowed as she walked by, but the majority was still ignorant.

The tree near Azula shook violently, then a pink blur dropped out. "Hiya! What're we doing today?" Ty Lee reached back up and helped a dark-haired girl off a branch. "Can we play pretend?"

"We're a little old for that," Mai said, checking to make sure she hadn't got any leaves in her hair.

Ty Lee laughed and removed a twig from Mai's bun. "We'll never be too old to play games! Right, Azula?"

"I suppose. The princess watched them critically. "I had something else in mind, though."

The acrobat didn't miss a beat. "Okay, is it hide and explode?"

"No, actually-"

"You're it!" A voice squealed from behind the trio. "Come on, let's play!"

Mai was the first to turn around. "Ugh. Anzi, go away. We're not falling for your dumb tricks."

"The teachers say you have to play with me." The girl put on what she probably thought was an endearing expression. "No being ex-clu-sive."

"Kid, in case you hadn't noticed, this is the school where we _learn_ to be exclusive." Mai grabbed Ty Lee's hand. "Let's go. She can't follow us everywhere."

"Wait." Azula smiled at the would-be princess. "Sure, Anzi, I'll play hide and explode with you. Mai and Ty Lee will too."

Her friends exchanged glances. "Um, if you say so Azula…" Ty Lee said hesitantly.

Mai sat down by the tree. "Count me out."

Anzi giggled shrilly. "Aww, Mai, don't be such a spoilsport!"

"Yeah Mai, I want you to play. It'll be fun," Azula promised.

The pale brunette's eyes flicked from one face to the other. "Fine." She broke eye contact, muttering at her knees. "But I'm not running all over the school this time."

"You won't have to." The princess covered her eyes and faced the tree. "I'm going to count to fifty, then I'll come after you."

"One." Anzi dashed off right away, and Azula heard her footsteps disappear into a hallway. When she was sure the girl was gone, she immediately opened her eyes and looked up.

"You found me!" Ty Lee dropped down again.

Mai hadn't even moved. "Great, Anzi's gone. What are we _really_ doing?"

Azula smirked. "I changed my mind. We're playing hide and explode now." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Ty Lee, you start searching for Anzi on the rooftops. Mai, you take the ground. Make her think you're looking for places to hide."

Ty Lee furrowed her brow. "But that's not fair-"

Azula kept smiling. "Trust me. This way is better. Report back when you find our target."

"Okay!" The acrobat bounded off up and over the roof and Mai trudged toward the nearby hallway.

The small princess leaned back to wait. _This shouldn't take too long._ Hopefully Anzi would learn her lesson this time. Besides, Azula didn't mind dealing with people who pestered her friends. She liked practicing, but Mai and Ty Lee made her apologize when she hurt them sometimes.

And Azula _hated_ apologizing.

Anyway, getting Anzi out of their hair would be easy. If Azula was right (_and when am I_ wrong?), the girl was setting herself up for trouble.

Ty Lee was back in less than five minutes. "Umm, Azula, we have a problem." The acrobat brushed her uniform down nervously. "Anzi's in the tree by the Headmistress's window."

"So?"

"Well, when she climbed the tree, Swatter wasn't in, but now she's at her desk." Ty Lee's eyes went wide. "We'll get caught if we try to get her down!"

_Perfect._ "Don't worry." Azula smirked. "She'll be the one in trouble."

Ty Lee's anxiousness vanished instantly. "You want me to show you the tree?"

"_Yes_, Ty Lee."

"'M'kay." The energetic girl darted off again, braid streaming behind her. Azula ran after her.

After a twisting series of covered walkways, Ty Lee stopped suddenly and held Azula back. "She's in that tree over there." The acrobat pointed across a small open area, then moved her finger upwards. "That's the headmistress's office."

"Anzi hasn't budged, and recess is almost over." Ty Lee jumped as Mai materialized behind them. "The Headmistress will leave then, so we could just wait."

"We could, but I said this would be fun." The princess traced her eyes up gnarled old cherry, then crossed the open space toward it. "You two can stay here, though."

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Ty Lee called softly after her. Azula didn't reply, estimating the distance between the ground and a shaking cluster of leaves. _No, Anzi won't break anything. Oh well._

The princess took a deep breath, then shot an arc of flame up to Anzi's position and the base of the branch below it. The girl shrieked and toppled out of her hiding place onto the weakened bough.

"You burned me!" Anzi screamed, clutching her right shoulder while hugging the tree with her knees. "No fair!"

"Can't you to defend yourself?" Azula yelled back tauntingly. "I thought we were playing hide and _explode_!"

"Nobody plays with real fire!" Anzi angrily spat back. "But I can hit you anyway, so there!" She let go of the tree and kicked one leg forward. As flames sparked around her foot, the branch creaked ominously, then ripped off the trunk.

Anzi plummeted downwards, screeching as she broke through another layer of branches. She hit the floor with a satisfying thud, yet got right back up, only bruised.

Headmistress Saraswati leaned out the window. "What is going _on_ out there?"

"Azula was firebending at me again!" Anzi shouted up. "Give her a detention!"

Azula just waited. Anzi wouldn't make a good case for herself if she was upset.

"Look here! See this pink spot!" Anzi gestured at a mild discoloration that could have been sunburn. "She burned me!"

Their headmistress leaned further out the window, but instead of looking at Anzi, her line of sight was turned to the tree. Her mouth moved silently, then her face began to turn red. "Which one of you was climbing in my prize cherry?" she snarled.

Anzi quickly pointed at the princess. "She was! Not me!"

Headmistress Saraswati's looked from one girl to the other, then her head withdrew. Azula heard heavy footsteps and then a door slam.

"Really, Anzi? Now you're just desperate" she said conversationally. "You should leave now if you don't want to get punished."

"I'm staying right here! The Headmistress always believes me!"

"Whatever you say, Anzi," the princess said doubtfully.

The girl's braids bounced as she stomped her foot. "You'll see! Here she comes!"

The Headmistress bustled around the corner, robes flapping as she ran. When she saw the litter of branches on the ground, her eyes narrowed. "I want the truth. Now!"

"It wasn't me!" both girls chorused. Anzi scowled at the confident princess.

"Azula was hiding in the tree, and when I told her to get down, she firebended at me for no reason!" The little ingrate clasped her hands together and stared at the headmistress beseechingly. "Please believe me!"

The old woman gave her a cool look. "Azula? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Well, we were playing hide and explode, and I accidently burned her." Azula inspected her nails thoughtfully. "I said I was sorry, but she ran off saying she'd get revenge. My friends said she was here, so I followed her and saw her climb out of your window and hide in the tree. When I approached her, she tried to attack me and ended up falling."

"That's a serious accusation." The headmistress gazed from one earnest face to another. "Anzi? Were you really in my office?"

"No! Azula's lying, I swear!" Anzi said fervently. "She's a no good liar and a bully and-"

Azula looked affronted. "I'm just trying to do what my father taught me. Tell the truth, uphold justice-"

Anzi grew more and more agitated. "Believe me, she's lying! What would I do in your office anyway?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Headmistress Saraswati frowned. "I _thought_ my papers were out of order…"

"No!" Anzi shrieked hysterically. "It was Azula! She was in your office!"

"Actually," the princess cut in smoothly, "It was probably a servant or the breeze. Anzi wasn't in there long enough to go through your papers."

The headmistress looked relieved. "Maybe you're right. At any rate" She caught hold of Anzi. "You're getting double detention for being in my office and then damaging my tree."

"You have to believe me!" Tears flooded down Anzi's cheeks as if her eyes were faucets. "I was never in your office!" She grabbed the woman's arm pleadingly.

The headmistress shook her off. "Be thankful that Azula convinced me you weren't doing anything serious. But if I catch you again-"

"My sister will hear about this!" Anzi interrupted, whirling toward Azula. "She'll make you sorry!"

With that, she stormed off into the maze of hallways and the bell rang for the next class.

**.o.O*O.o.**

"What _I_ can't believe is that you got away with it." Mai and Ty Lee joined up with Azula as their grade level filed into a large courtyard.

"Just don't do that to us, okay?" Ty Lee wasn't skipping like she usually did. "I don't want extra detentions!"

"Yeah sure. Besides, why would I get you two in trouble? I wouldn't have anyone to talk to if you're in deten-."

"Shh! We're here!" Ty Lee put a finger to her lips and the three girls slunk into the surprisingly hushed crowd.

"Why are we being quiet?" The only adults Azula could see were busy hauling weapons racks to the four corners of the area. "The teacher isn't even here yet."

"Captain Huoba's really strict," Mai murmured. "She's the firebending instructor, but she's also head of all the other teachers here."

"Yeah, good luck surviving today. She likes to single out kids to make examples. If you're quiet, maybe she won't notice you."

Suddenly a stream of flames exploded above the center of the courtyard. The milling students swiftly crowded away from it, making room for a small woman in immaculate army uniform.

"I'm Captain Huoba!" she shouted into the silence. "For those of you who haven't heard of me, I served ten years in Domestic Forces before coming here. If any of you thinks you're a better fighter than I am, raise your hand!"

Azula considered taking the challenge, then decided against it. One confrontation was enough for today, and she had no idea how well this captain could firebend. Judging by her arrogance, though, she looked more used to giving orders than actually fighting.

"You will be divided into groups according to your preferred weapon," the woman continued. "Firebenders and new students, stay here. Everyone else, go to the same place as last year."

Mai left wordlessly in the direction of a set of targets on the far side of the courtyard. Ty Lee started to rush off again, then bounced a step back. "See you after class!" she whispered, squeezing Azula's hand. "Don't make Huoba mad, 'kay? It's not worth it."

A fireball sizzled by Ty Lee's braid, abruptly ending the conversation. "Bye!" the acrobat squeaked, scurrying away under the captain's angry gaze.

"Well, then, who do we have here?" Captain Huoba pushed her way toward Azula. "Princess Azula, am I correct?"

_No, actually I'm a Water Tribe spy_. "Yes, Sifu." _Are_ _there really _that_ many girls who look like me?_

"Good." The former soldier didn't even bother to bow. "I hope you don't mind getting your royal hands dirty, 'cause you're going to sweat in this class." She raised her voice, addressing the gathered girls. "That goes for the rest of you as well! I don't care if you're nobles and I'm not, but you will be working just as hard as a commoner from now on! Is that clear?"

A smattering of "Maybe's" and "No's" pervaded the otherwise resounding "Yes!" Captain Huoba glared around, looking for the dissenters. "I said, _is that clear?_"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"You will not complain, no matter what I tell you to do!"

"Yes, ma'am!" _Still, this class'll be a piece of cake compared to Dad's lessons._

"Alright! New students, how many of you are firebenders?" A few hands inched up, Azula's among them. "Non-benders, pick one of the other stations for today. You'll get assigned to a permanent one later this week. Firebenders, pair up."

Azula sized up the other girls, none of which met her eyes. She didn't mind - at least they were learning faster than Anzi_._ She finally approached a tall girl with a sullen expression who wasn't backing away.

"Not you." Azula turned around to see the teacher beckoning, standing in a square marked out on the pavement. "I want to see what bad habits you've got from the soft living at the palace."

"I assure you, I am more than proficient at firebending. There is no need for you to retrain me."

"My, my, a true prodigy," the woman scoffed. "Care to give us a demonstration, Princess?"

The captain must have been living under a rock to doubt her ability, but maybe that made sense if she was deployed to the Earth Kingdom. "If you insist." Azula sighed. "What form?"

"Oh, I don't know," Captain Huoba replied mockingly. "How about I challenge you to an informal Agni Kai, right now?"

_Is she serious?_ "I'd rather not." _So much for avoiding another fight. _

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to- Hey!" Huoba stumbled back from Azula's quick slash, but recovered gracefully enough.

_Well, time to make a _lasting _impression._ The princess followed up with another whip of fire aimed at the teacher's feet. Captain Huoba easily stepped away, retaliating with several punches to Azula's right. The princess dodged to the side, returning the blows, and Huoba barely blocked in time.

"You're not too bad," she said, startled. "But I can't be losing in front of my class, can I?" She lashed out, kicking flames that left deep scorch marks on the tiles. Azula skipped back, and her teacher snapped out an array of fireballs, these ones forming a slight heat haze with their intensity. _She's not going to be holding back,_ Azula realized. On the one hand, the captain would tire faster, but Azula knew she would start to lag long before it would make a difference. She had decent endurance for her age – not that of a trained soldier. _I'll have to finish this quickly, then_.

The two combatants circled each other, waiting for an opportunity. Azula struck with a weak wave of fire, hoping to get Captain Huoba off balance again. Instead, the woman leaped over the ripple, raining punches as she descended. Azula then dove and rolled to the side, expecting another attack as she came up. Strangely, as she twisted around, only a small tongue of flame met her hand. Azula flicked it away effortlessly.

The respite was short-lived, however, and as soon as the princess moved right, her opponent was back on the offensive, sending a fireball roaring past Azula's ear. The small girl blocked the next blast with her arms, the flames scarcely parting as another attack snarled her way. She braced herself, knowing that she'd be giving ground with each blow.

_How to escape this…_ Azula dodged right a second time to get out of the deadlock, trying to force the captain away with her own barrage of fire. As she completed another circle, the princess glanced over her opponent's shoulder. The rest of the class had moved to the edge of the square for a better, if more dangerous view.

The captain had noticed this as well, and as Azula sent blast after blast at her, her teacher also dissipated the ones that would have harmed their audience. _She must have weakened her fire when I was in front of them._ Azula ducked Huoba's counterattacks and shifted another quarter around, making the two parallel to the students. _Finally, an advantage_. The fight was nearing the end of Azula's stamina, and this would give her a welcome opportunity.

Azula let the woman begin a flurry of punches, weaving and blocking until her back was toward the other students. Just as she'd anticipated, the shower of embers lessened and Captain Huoba hesitated. It was all the opening Azula needed. She closed the distance between them, smiling as the captain's fireballs went wide to avoid hitting the half circle of girls. Her teacher kicked out in defense, generating a low wave. _You showed me how to avoid that, remember?_ Azula mirrored her teacher's tactics, leaping high and then landing a heavy blow on the former soldier's chest armor. Captain Huoba staggered slightly, and the princess snapped her foot out, tripping the woman with an arc of flames.

Though Azula was panting heavily and her teacher was barely affected, the girl had won. Her opponent lay helpless on the ground.

"Do you know how an Agni Kai ends, Captain?"

**.o.O*O.o.**

Everyone was much more courteous to Azula when she walked to her final class. In fact, they seemed to be outright avoiding her.

Except for Mai and Ty Lee, of course. Azula idly wondered what made them so loyal. Whatever the bond was, it was still holding strong.

"That was so awesome!" The acrobat gushed as she pranced by Azula's side. "It was like fireworks, but with more _whoosh_ and less BANG!" She jumped up and spread her arms wide, knocking her head on the low ceiling inside the corridor. "Ow!"

"No explosives indoors," Mai deadpanned. "You're both going to History, so settle down."

"Yeah, Azula, you got off with another warning this time, but really, you're starting to scare people."

"Can you imagine what would have happened if she had actually scarred the captain?"

Ty Lee shivered, hugging her shoulders. "Aw, you'd never actually do that, would you, Azula?" She belatedly realized the firebender wasn't listening. "Hello? Azula?"

"Hm?" _What would Dad have wanted me to do? Maybe I _should_ have burned that idiot's face off._ "What did you say, Ty Lee?" The princess frowned. _He said to behave, but what does _that_ mean? _

The bubbly girl was giving Azula a strange look. "Are you okay? You're sort of out of it…"

"No, I'm perfectly fine." She shook her head, and a smirk fell back in place. "History? I think I've met the teacher already."

"Great! Ms. Li Shi's super nice when you get to know her."

"Just whatever you do, don't damage her precious books." Mai slowed down, checking each new passage they came to.

"Why? Will she challenge me like the firebending instructor? I think I can handle that."

Ty Lee giggled. "No! Worse! She'll make you sit through a lecture about what you should never do to books." The girl struck a comical poses as she walked. "You must never write in the margins, for this book holds the sacred words of your ancestors, and to mark them is to profane their spirits. You must never tear the pages, for a page lost is knowledge lost forever. You must never- "

"It goes on like that for about two hours," Mai cut in. She gradually halted, peering down a red carpeted corridor. "Wish me luck with Ms. Jing Ju, by the way."

"I'm sure you'll like her." Ty Lee gave her friend a parting embrace. "She's not boring at all!"

"I'm thrilled to hear that." The pale girl extricated herself and her form rapidly receded into the dark hallway.

Just before she had completely gone from view, the acrobat slapped her forehead. "Oh, wait! Mai!"

Unfortunately, the knife-thrower didn't hear, and Ty Lee turned back to Azula. "I've been forgetting to ask you two something all day."

"Oh?"

"Can we go to the market after school? You promised to help me pick a stuffed animal."

_I never agreed to – _

Ty Lee didn't wait for an answer, suddenly hugging the princess just as she had Mai. "Thanks Azula! I knew you'd say yes!"

**.o.O*O.o.**


	5. Old Friends, New Enemies

In the Spirit of Friendship

**.o.O.** Old Friends, New Enemies **.O.o.**

Ty Lee hadn't expected to see _him_ at the market.

She started to run forward to hug the newcomer, only to stop and wince when Mai stepped on her foot. The acrobat quickly changed plans, yanking both the solemn girl and the nervous boy into one large embrace. "Zuko! We haven't seen you in forever!"

"But it's only been a few months!" the prince said, breaking away from her stranglehold and then carefully putting down a slender package.

"Mai said it was forever, and that was two weeks ago!" Ty Lee grinned, seeing both her friends' auras infuse with dark pink. "It must be an _eternity_ by now!'

"Oh, shut up, Ty Lee." Mai was blushing furiously, looking determinedly not at Zuko. "Still, I guess it's nice to see you again."

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, um, sorry I haven't written or anything. Stuff's been busy, you know…" He trailed off awkwardly.

"What's the Academy for Boys like? Is it big?" Ty Lee chattered on. "Are there any nice guys there?"

Zuko was obviously relieved to have a neutral subject. "Actually, it's pretty small. It's mostly just a training place for the army. Lots of generals' and admirals' sons." He made a face.

"What, are they even more idiotic than the daughters?" Mai folded her arms. "Is that even possible?"

"Yeah, there's this one guy named Chan-"

"Hello, Zuzu." _Uh-oh_. Ty Lee moved back, allowing the princess into their little circle. "I didn't know you were on this island."

"I'm only staying here for a day," he said, his aura immediately flaring a defensive red. "I 'm just getting something from the market and then I'm _leaving_."

Azula was smiling. "Did you forget all your things at the palace? Again?"

Her brother's hands curled into fists. "No! And I never did before either!"

"So, uh, what do you need?" Ty Lee kept her tone bright, hoping to diffuse the situation. "I can help get it!"

"I've already got it and it's none of your business anyway!"

Ty Lee swiftly backed down. "Okay, if you say-"

"Oh? What'd you get, Zuzu?" _Azula, just give it up!_ "We all want to know."

"Why, to make fun of me?" he snarled. "Forget it!"

"Zuko?" Mai tapped him on the shoulder, holding something metallic in her other hand.

He turned around, distracted. "What, you too?"

"Nice Dao."

"Hey, give that back!" He jerked the twin swords out of her hand, looking around for the packaging. "They're mine!"

"You're taking up swords?" Azula asked, bemused.

"Yeah! So?"

"I knew you were hopeless at firebending, but not that-"

"Maybe I'm not _perfect_ like you, but I'm not hopeless!" he burst out, then looked down at the silvery blades and sighed. "Uncle suggested that I take up another weapon. He said I should try to find something else so I'm not always competing with you."

One of her eyebrows went up. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks," he snapped back. "I'm so happy you approve."

"_I_ certainly do." Mai, for once, seemed to be pleased. "Do you know how to take care of blades?"

"A little bit, but-"

"I'll teach you the rest now." She glared at Ty Lee and Azula.

Ty Lee widened her large grey eyes. "Aw, but you said you'd go shopping with me, Mai."

The other girl was unaffected. "Go with Azula."

"Why do I always get stuck with-"

"Well, do you know anything about knives?" Mai pushed the princess toward Ty Lee. "No? You'd just get in the way."

Zuko was fiddling awkwardly with his new weapons, looking extremely embarrassed. "Mai, if she wants to stay-"

She stared at him in stony silence, then turned her eyes on Ty Lee. The acrobat squirmed, finally feeling a little uncomfortable. "Um, Azula,I think they want to be alone. We can find Mr. Cuddlypoops II by ourselves."

"Mr. What?" both firebenders gave her a strange look.

"Uh, a stuffed platypus-bear cub." She grabbed Azula's hand, steering the princess to the bustling set of stalls. "We'll meet you back here in an hour!"

**.o.O*O.o.**

Two hours and countless stalls later, Ty Lee still wasn't ready to admit defeat. "Come on, Azula, just one more place!"

Azula, however, had decidedly less patience. "We've already been here, Ty Lee."

"No we haven't! We checked the one on the other side of the street!"

The princess's shoulders slumped. "Fine, go ahead. I'll wait here."

"Aw, come on, you can't be tired already!" The gold-eyed girl leaned on the nearby wall and wouldn't budge when Ty Lee pulled her arm. "Just this one and a few more stalls. Pleeease?"

"No." _Maybe I could leave her here…_

"I'll be back in a sec!" The acrobat weaved past the long lines to a small, rickety cart. Beside it, a strange man was selling deformed fish, but Ty Lee didn't pay him much attention. The stall next to it had an eclectic pile of wares on top and – _Yes!_ – one of them was a stuffed animal. Not a platypus-bear cub, but that was okay. She liked rabiroos too.

"Excuse me." Ty Lee peeked around the rest of the items on the cart, trying to find the merchant. She finally spotted him behind the stall, snoring on top of a stack of tapestries. As she deliberated whether or not to wake him up, he yawned and stretched.

"Huh? Who're you, young lady?"

"Someone who wants that." She pointed at the rabiroo. "Is it for sale?"

"Eh, I suppose so. A kid left it here last week. Never came back."

"How much?" Ty Lee fished around in the little purse her mother had given her, coming up with a handful of copper coins. "Whoops, I didn't bring a lot of money."

"Oh, that's okay." The man chuckled. "It's not like I paid for it, so hey, have it for free."

"Great! Thanks!" She snagged the plush toy off the pile of ornate vases. "It looks practically new!"

The merchant abruptly turned serious. "It probably is. I think it might have belonged to the family whose house collapsed a day ago."

Ty Lee quickly put the rabiroo doll down. "If you knew whose it was, why didn't you take it back?"

"I was considering it," he said ruefully. "But, you know, I kept putting it off. It's too late now – the whole family's dead."

"Oh. I'm sorry." _So I have a dead kid's doll? _"Uh, were they anyone you knew well?"

"Nah," he replied. "The father was a family guard for some rich noble family or something; we never spoke much. Still, it's always sad to hear about a neighbor dying."

"Yeah." Ty Lee paused, unsure what to say. "Um, bye, I guess." Clutching the stuffed animal, she backed into the crowd.

"Have a nice day!" the man called after her.

_What day isn't nice?_ she thought, stroking the fuzzy doll as she retraced her steps. _Well, maybe yesterday wasn't for that family. Poor kid._

"But you're gonna have a new home with me, Foo Foo." Ty Lee didn't care if people saw her talking to a toy. "Let me introduce you to my fr-"

Azula wasn't there. _Is she shopping somewhere?_ The acrobat put the rabiroo on the low wall, then hopped up next to it to survey the sunny plaza. _Nope, she's really gone._

_What to do… Oh!_ Ty Lee darted to a nearby stall where a woman was selling fruit. "Hi! Did you happen to see where my friend went?"

"'Course not," the fruit-seller said brusquely. "I'm busy. Are you going to buy anything?" She held up a bizarrely colored fruit Ty Lee had never seen before.

"Uh, no, sorry." The acrobat edged away, scanning the faces of the stall owners for someone more amiable.

Unfortunately, she wasn't paying much attention to the people behind her. "Hey, watch where you're going!" a voice shrilled. "You nearly made me drop this!"

"Huh?" Ty Lee twisted around, almost getting hit by a woman's shopping basket before she saw the little girl.

"First your stupid princess burns me, now _you_ try to knock me over. What's your problem?" The speaker glared at her, braids quivering in anger.

"Hello, Anzi." Ty Lee groaned inwardly, but her cheerful appearance never wavered. "Is your shoulder feeling better?"

"Yeah, but no thanks to you!"

"Oh, that's good." _Maybe she'll go if she gets bored… _The acrobat stood on her toes and shaded her eyes, trying to look over the younger girl's head. _Wait, was that-_

"You never listen to me!" Anzi stomped the ground, narrowly missing Ty Lee's foot. "What're you even looking for, anyway?"

"Mmm?" _No, that wasn't her. Perhaps she went back to Zuko and Mai?_

"Fine, ignore me. I'll go follow the royal brat and my sister."

_Wait, royal?_ "D'you mean Zuko or Azula?"

"The princess." Anzi rolled her eyes. "Duh. Why would the prince be here? You think he's going to the Girls' Academy or something?"

"No, he's -" Ty lee paused and blinked. _This isn't worth arguing_. "Actually, where did you say Azula was?"

The other girl shrugged. "I dunno. I saw her following my sister for whatever reason."

"Okay, where's your sister?"

"Probably at our place by now."

"Your p-"

"Hello? Big gates? Huge house?" Anzi flicked her hand out. "Did you forget my family _owns_ most of this island?"

_They do?_ Ty Lee thought. _Oh, right. The Jiadai or dei family or something._ "Um, could you point me-"

"Just come this way, idiot." She shoved through the mass of people, towing the acrobat by her hand.

Ty Lee, for her part, held tightly to her stuffed rabiroo and marveled at Anzi's sudden change in demeanor as they walked over the dusty street. In a few minutes the path changed to cobblestones, and the houses were less quaint and more grandiose.

"Oh! There she is!" Without warning, Anzi abandoned Ty Lee and rushed off into a side street. The gray-eyed girl pursued her guide at a slower pace, then hung back until she saw that Anzi was following two figures, a young woman in partial armor and some sort of guard.

Voices floated back to Ty Lee as she waited by the corner. "What rumors? I know Ying Yu looks a little odd, but I'm sure he's completely trustworthy."

The guard was speaking, but Ty Lee couldn't make out most of the words. "…suspicious accident…" She moved forward, passing a gold leafed tree.

"Ty Lee?" A hand shot out from behind the tree, and Ty Lee found herself dragged behind trailing branches. "What are you doing here?"

"Azula! I've been looking all over-"

The princess quickly put a finger to the acrobat's lips. "Shh! Listen!"

"…maybe an earthbender," the man was saying.

"I already told you, my family and I are all upstanding Fire Nation citizens. We would never hire a shady character like that!"

"Even so, perhaps-"

"Anzi!" the young woman interrupted, finally noticing Ty Lee's guide. "How's the academy been? Made any new friends?"

"Sorta, but also…" Anzi began to whisper, and Ty Lee craned her neck around the tree trunk to hear, then was yanked back by Azula.

The princess gestured in the direction of the market they had come from. "Let's go. They're not talking about anything interesting anymore."

"Yeah, we should find Mai and Zuko. Oh, and look!" Ty Lee held up her new toy. "This is Foo Foo! Isn't he cute?"

"Yes, yes."Azula walked past the acrobat, not even glancing at the rabiroo. "Are you coming or not?"

"Uh-huh." Ty Lee was gazing backwards over the princess's shoulder. "But I think those people noticed us."

The firebender was unperturbed. "It doesn't matter. They probably don't even know who I am."

"Actually…" The brown-haired girl watched as Anzi tapped the woman's arm and pointed at them. Her expression turned sour, and the woman marched toward the two girls. "They're coming here!"

"What?" Azula whipped around to find herself under the angry eye of Anzi's sister.

"What's wrong with you? I don't care if you're the Fire Lord's daughter, you have no right to be hurting Anzi!" She glared at Azula, not bothering to acknowledge Ty Lee.

"You're the sister she mentioned?" The princess met the armored woman's gaze coolly. "I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name."

"Nihona," the woman snapped. "And I demand an apology on my sister's behalf!" Anzi grinned and waved from behind Nihona's back.

The firebender merely laughed. "Or what? You'll get revenge for her? Why do you even care so much about-"

"Because she _is_ my sister." A blade suddenly appeared an inch from Azula's nose, and Nihona's tone became sweetly frigid. "This is an authentic Piandao, by the way. I've been waiting for a chance to try it out."

"It shouldn't be hard to find an opportunity." The gold-eyed princess pushed the sword away from her face. "Anzi must feel so proud to have a swordswoman as a sister. It's not like she can defend herself."

The sword glinted as Nihona sheathed it, matching the hard glint of her eyes. "She won't have to."

"Family means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Of course!" The young woman's fingers played over the sword grip once again. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing."

"Why, is that what your family means to you?" she sneered. "Don't think I haven't heard some interesting tidbits from the palace."

Ty Lee saw her friend tense almost imperceptibly. "What? How?"

Now it was Nihona's turn to laugh. "Oh, we had a servant that used to work in the palace several years back. She was fired for saying some rather unpatriotic things about the new Fire Lord, but she told other anecdotes as well."

"About?"

"You, for one." The woman smiled condescendingly at Ty Lee. "I'd find a new friend, little girl. Not even this one's mother could put up with her. Apparently, she got so fed up she ran off!"

The acrobat watched Azula, barely catching the subtle flicker in her aura. "I haven't heard that one before. The woman must have been insane."

"Probably. She had some choice words about your brother too, but personally, I'm glad he was born first." Nihona tossed her hair behind her and strode off along the picturesque boulevard. "I can't imagine what our nation would be like under a monster like you."

As Nihona walked away, Anzi stepped smugly forward. "Yeah, what do you think of that, you stu- Eep!" She ducked and a knife whizzed by, embedding itself in a tree. "Nana, wait for me!" The girl sprinted off after her sister, covering her head.

"What was all that about?" Zuko appeared from around the corner, Mai next to him.

Ty Lee dashed over to greet them. "There was this mean girl and she was threatening-"

Azula pushed her aside. "Oh, we just got a little lost, that's all."

"On this side of the city?" Zuko crossed his arms. "Right."

"Um, we were chasing this!" Ty Lee put her rabiroo on Zuko's head, where it promptly slid off onto the cobblestones. "Uh…"

"Good thing you found it." Mai rejoined them, fingering her knife. "But next time you play with Anzi, remind me to bring more knives."

"Who?" Zuko asked, confused. "The girl with the –"

"No one important." Azula cut in. "You three can stay here and chat all day, but I'm heading back to the Academy." She turned away and walked down the street without another word.

Ty Lee scooped up her stuffed animal and looked at the sky. The sun had just disappeared behind the houses. "It's getting late. I'll go back too."

Mai sighed. "I suppose I don't have anything else to do here either." She fixed Zuko with a knife-point glare. "Don't forget to write this time."

He smiled nervously. "I won't."

"Bye, Zuko! Good luck with your swords and stuff." Ty Lee darted after Azula's retreating form, then stopped for a second to let Mai catch up.

The two turned back one last time to see Zuko waving goodbye, then trudged back to school.

**.o.O*O.o.**

Midnight was a quiet hour at the Academy. The teachers had finished preparing for the next day, the night guards stood silently by the gate, and every girl was fast asleep.

Well, most of them. Ty Lee laid back and stared at the bunk above her, listening to the lack of sound. Gradually, she began to pick out Mai's faint breathing and rustling from above as Azula turned over. Maybe she was still awake too.

The acrobat skimmed up the ladder, hoping to find some company for her restless thoughts. She was not disappointed.

"Hey," she whispered softly, feet still on the ladder.

"Huh?" The princess's eyes blinked open instantly. "Why're _you_ awake."

Ty Lee shrugged. "I dunno, why're you?"

"Because you're talking to me." She sat up, brushing hair away from her face. "Is something wrong? Assassins attacking? The building burning down? If it's just a nightmare-"

"No, no." The other girl shook her head in emphasis. "I was just wondering… is anything bothering you?"

"What? No."

"Really?" Ty Lee swung up onto the bunk. "You can sleep easy knowing that people hate you like that?"

Azula seemed confused for a second. "Oh, you mean that woman from the market? Why should I care what she thinks of me?"

"It would bother me," the acrobat murmured.

"That's because you want to be _everyone's_ friend." Ty Lee couldn't see in the darkness, but she could have sworn Azula was rolling her eyes.

"Then you really don't care what anyone thinks of you? At all?"

The princess hesitated. "I care what Dad thinks, of course."

"No one else?"

"No."

Neither girl moved, the pause floating into the night.

Ty Lee finally broke the silence again. "What about me?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you care if I hated you?"

Azula rubbed her eyes. "If I say yes, will you leave and let me try to sleep?"

"Maybe." Ty Lee leaned against the headrest, obviously not going anywhere. "Would you really mean it?"

"Sure." The firebender stifled a yawn.

_Is she lying? I can never tell._ "Okay, what about Mai? And Zuko?"

Azula just gave her a blank, tired look. "Mai? Zuko?" the acrobat repeated, this time a little louder.

"Yeah, whatever. Satisfied?"

"No!" The word burst out of Ty Lee's mouth before she could catch it. "It's not fair! You could just be lying and me 'n Mai can't even-"

A drowsy voice drifted over from the other side of the room. "Guys, it's the middle of the night."

Ty Lee flinched. "Oh, sorry, Mai! Did I wake you up?"

"No, I'm sleep talking."

"But-"

"Good _night_, you two." Ty Lee heard Mai's head thump back into a pillow.

The usually energetic girl backed slowly onto the ladder, feeling a tinge of disappointment. "Um, 'night, Azula," she mumbled, then started climbing down.

At the last possible moment, the princess's hand caught her wrist. Ty Lee hopped up a rung to meet her eyes. "Yes?"

"Look, silly, I…" She abruptly trailed off , curling up under the blanket instead of continuing. "Never mind."

_O… kay?_ Ty Lee descended, unsure what to think, but sure she wouldn't be sleeping any time soon.

Ten minutes later, she was dreaming.

**.o.O*O.o.**


	6. The School Picnic

In the Spirit of Friendship

**.o.O.** The School Picnic **.O.o.**

"Brilliant, Ty Lee. How are you going to get it down?"

"Uhhh…"

"Let me guess – you hadn't thought about that." Mai sighed. Azula's plans invariably ended up with someone else cleaning up, and this one was no exception. "If you two wanted to play with my knives, you _could_ have asked me."

"But Azula said-" Mai crossed her arms, and the acrobat swallowed and looked at the ground. "Um, okay, we'll ask next time.

"Good. The teachers would have fits if they knew you were aiming at that statue." Mai craned her neck and gazed at the huge scaffolding covering the two story cat-owl. "And I don't have unlimited knives, you know."

"Alright, I'm sorry!" Ty Lee squinted at the small bit of metal winking in the sun. "Here, I think I can get it down."

"Just be careful. Someone might come back any minute."

However, it only took seconds for her bouncy friend to zip up the scaffolding, leaping from beam to beam with careless ease. Mai watched the acrobat's progress with tiny smile. Sure, the crazy girl did get annoying sometimes, but then, so did everyone else. At least Ty Lee was _interesting_.

The grey-eyed girl was cautiously inching her hand towards the knife, just missing it. "Um, Mai, I can't reach it."

Wonderful. If Mai wanted her knife back, she'd have to help Ty Lee. Placing her foot on the first shaft of wood, she clambered up to the first platform. Her friend dropped down and grabbed her arm from there, pulling Mai up to a narrow beam on the inside of the scaffold.

"Just hold onto me so I don't fall," the acrobat said, grinning. Mai complied, and the two girls leaned out.

The dark-haired girl shifted her weight irritably. "Ty Lee, you must have reached it by n-"

"Got it!" She collapsed back on the horizontal beam, triumphantly holding the knife. "Great, we can catch up with Azula!" She dangled her legs over the side of the piece of wood, preparing to jump.

"Wait." Mai let her eyes flick over to the corner of the statue, watching for movement to match faint footsteps. Sure enough, the headmistress was pounding though the courtyard, stopping on the other side of the statue. Mai breathed out as she finally passed, then tensed as the woman returned again, pacing.

"What do we do now?" Ty Lee whispered. "She's not leaving."

"How should I know? Maybe-" Another set of shoes clicked on the concrete, hurrying up to Headmistress Saraswati.

The fussy old woman's voice echoed harshly back. "Lan? I thought I told you to have the cleaning finished yesterday!"

"I'm sorry, headmistress." The other speaker was male, no one Mai recognized. "But you see, we had some problems with-"

"When I hire someone, I expect to see results, not excuses, Lan!" The headmistress had resumed pacing back and forth. "We need to have it finished by this weekend, or we will have to postpone the ceremony."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll get right to it," the man said smartly.

"You'd better! I am not postponing the picnic, so get to work!" Her heavy footsteps disappeared into the distance. Mai nodded to Ty Lee, and both descended the scaffold silently, then sprinted for the nearest building.

"Hey!" Mai glanced back to see a man carrying a large bucket stare after them. "What do you think you're doing?"

_Running away_, Mai thought, following Ty Lee into the nearest dormitory. _What does it look like?_

**.o.O*O.o.**

The two girls strolled slowly down a torch-lit hallway. "A picnic, huh? It'll be nice to get out of the school without running into Anzi."

"I'm sure we'll miss her constant nagging. " Mai tossed her reclaimed knife from hand to hand. "I must admit, that girl's impressed me."

Ty Lee frowned. "She has? But she's been annoying us nonstop for a month!"

"Exactly," Mai replied. "And she hasn't been crisped yet."

"I guess Azula's been kinda busy."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "She still has time to play with you, though."

"She'll always have time to play with me! And you too, Mai, but you never want to join us."

"Unlike you, Ty Lee, I actually value my life."

The other girl giggled. "If Zuko was here, you'd always come play with us, wouldn't you?"

"Right. And get dumped in ponds, or pushed out of trees, or chased by angry sparrowkeets, or-"

"That was an accident!"

"Just like the time with the cabbage seller, huh?"

"Well…"

They turned the corner in awkward silence, Academy-issue boots scuffing the thin rugs.

"Are you mad at us?" Ty Lee said in a quiet voice. "I mean, if you really want to be left alone, I can talk to Azula…"

_Like that would do anything._ Mai suppressed a sigh. "No, Ty Lee, I'm not mad at you."

"Oh, good." The brunette brightened up considerably. "So, has he written back yet?"

"What?"

"Zuko, of course!"

"Oh, um." Mai had an uncomfortable feeling that she was blushing, but she tried to ignore it, walking a little faster. "Yeah, he sent me a letter last week. Said he might be able to come this weekend."

The acrobat easily matched her pace. "And? Are you going to meet him?"

"Not if we all have to go to that picnic." Mai stared at the ground. "And the ceremony at the temple. Ugh."

"Aw, that's no fair." Her friend winked and gave the solemn girl a playful nudge. "I'll help if you want to cut."

"We'd get caught," Mai said flatly. "No way."

"Yes way! It'll be simple; no one ever pays attention to all the girls." Ty Lee fiddled thoughtfully with her braid. "You should probably stay nearby, though."

Mai struggled, warming to the scheme, but knowing they would never pull it off. "You know the river by the temple?" she finally said. "The one that's dangerous in the spring but not now?"

"Yeah?"

"Zuko and I found a little bridge over it when he and Iroh visited last year. It's a nice spot." Mai hesitated. "But what about the supervisors? They take roll call after the chants."

"Oh, I forgot about that." The acrobat's enthusiasm quickly faded, and she stopped at the door to their room with a little less spring to her step.

Mai pushed away her disappointment and took out her key. "Never mind, then. I haven't even written back to Zuko yet." She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Ty Lee skipped past her and Mai closed the door behind them, then looked up. Azula was sitting at one of the desks, obviously working on her calligraphy. The quiet atmosphere only lasted a second.

"Hey Azula, guess what!" Ty Lee chirped, and the princess's hand jerked in surprise, splattering ink over an otherwise flawless paper.

"_Ty Lee!_" The girl glared at the spots, then tore the whole sheet out of her notebook. "I hope whatever it is was worth ruining this!"

The acrobat flinched as Azula crumpled the paper and reduced it to ashes. "Sorry! But it really is important! Mai wants to-"

_She isn't-!_ The pale-eyed girl quickly cut her friend off. "It's nothing."

Unfortunately, that just piqued the princess's interest. "Really, Mai? I think Ty Lee is right – it's important, whatever it is."

_Why did I even tell Ty Lee what Zuko said?_ "No, it's just a stupid idea." She gave her friend a sharp look.

Ty Lee remained oblivious. "Please, Mai? I'm sure Azula could find a way to let you and Zuko-"

Azula smirked and Mai winced. "There's a school picnic coming up soon," she said, defeated. "Zuko has that day off, so Ty Lee suggested that I cut and meet him."

"But people might notice she's gone, so we need a way to distract them!" Ty Lee broke in. "Can you help?"

Mai slumped on her bed, preparing for a long stretch of teasing. As if today hadn't been bad enough. Why did that silly girl have to open her mouth?

"Of course. I'd be glad to help a friend."

Mai sat up in shock. "What's the catch?"

"Nothing." Azula even had the nerve to look hurt. "I miss my brother too."

**.o.O*O.o.**

Getting every student out of the school and then organizing them by room was a futile task, in Mai's opinion. Everyone was just looking for their friends, and the shouts of 'over here!' and 'found you!' were drowning out whatever the headmistress was saying. Not that it mattered. The ceremony had been held each year since the academy had been founded, and the students knew what was going on.

"Azula's gone to find our group supervisor." Ty Lee bounced up out of nowhere. "She said you'll have an hour 'til you're missed anyway, and we'll cover for you after that."

Mai looked away from the distant river. "If nothing else goes wrong, of course."

"Stop worrying! Azula's plans always work!" The acrobat flipped over into a handstand. "Besides, who cares if you're caught? It's not like they'll suspend you."

Mai continued talking to Ty Lee's feet. "It'll probably depend on who our supervisor is. And even Azula can't plan that ahead of time."

"So? Maybe it'll be Jia's brother again. Then you'll have all day!"

"I doubt he'll be allowed back." The knife thrower snorted at the memory. "Not after he got lost on the way to the temple."

Ty Lee giggled. "I thought _I_ had a bad sense of direction, but…"

"Well, you just don't care where you're going. He couldn't navigate an open field with a _map_."

"At least we still had the food and stuff." The acrobat fell over, landing in a clump of red flowers. "Even if we _were_ on the other side of the island."

"Yeah." They waited in friendly silence, watching the rest of the students mill about. There seemed to be a disturbance near the middle, but it probably had nothing to do with them.

Ty Lee suddenly stretched and sat up. "What's taking her so long? D'you think there was a mix up?"

"Maybe." Mai shrugged. "Surely it can't be that complicated. I mean, what is there to get confused? The room numbers?"

"Oh, here she comes." Her friend pointed at the cluster of figures approaching. "Hey, wait, is that…?"

"Great." _A tattletale and a supervisor with a grudge against us._ "Looks like I won't be getting away with those two breathing down my neck."

"Huh? Why not?" Ty Lee stood up and waved. "What'shername - Nihonto?- barely knows you."

"Anzi'll more then make up for her sister," Mai said glumly. "Of all people, she _had_ to be in our group."

"Come on, Azula and I can distract both of them easy." The acrobat pulled Mai's arm. "Let's just go meet them now and you can slip off when we're walking through the trees."

Mai squirmed out of her grasp, watching the hyperactive girl rush off to meet the rest of their group. _Like _that's_ going to work._

**.o.O*O.o.**

Surprisingly, it did. Nihona and her annoying sister hardly acknowledged Mai, too absorbed by some argument. When Mai casually fell behind, no one said anything. Even when she took a different path, no one called out to her. Amazing.

She could only imagine what Ty Lee and Azula were up to. They had been deep in discussion, and Mai had a feeling someone would be having a rather unpleasant day. Hopefully it wouldn't be her.

Right now though? She was quite enjoying herself. The river was actually pretty, and the path was relatively shallow. It was nice to be alone, breaking the school rules. Not that Mai was a rebellious girl, as much as she sometimes wished she was.

She let her feet drag through the tufts of grass, sometimes kicking a pebble down the slope to the river. If Zuko was there, they could skip stones off the bridge, where there was a small pool. Here it was moving too fast, of course. She could see the little bits of leaves and branches skim by.

_What?_ Mai whirled around, hearing a faint rustle from some bushes. She frowned at the slight movement, certain it wasn't the wind. Whoever it was, though, didn't want to come out, so Mai just kept walking.

Past the hill, the path leveled out until it was almost flat. Bunches of trees dotted the banks, which began to fall more sharply the further Mai went upriver. One of the trees must have been blown over in the last storm, and its trunk was caught half-in, half-out of the water. Another bridge, perhaps? But the one she and Zuko knew was still up ahead.

_Will he be there?_ the girl wondered. She'd sent the letter by hawk, but there was still the chance it got lost. Or that Zuko couldn't come.

Over a rise, around a screen of boulders and willows, and there was the bridge, an expanse of old planks and rickety supports. Mai kept an ear out for her shadow, but when she passed the rocks and stepped on the ancient wood, she didn't hear anything suspicious. She was completely alone.

_Guess that was too much to hope for._ Mai sat on the bridge, letting her legs hang over the water. Well, even if Zuko couldn't come, this was much better than having to follow the noisy band of girls to the temple. She had always thought the whole routine was pointless. Herd a whole school up the mountain, just to appease some nonexistent spirit? Why bother?

She took off her boots and socks, then stretched her feet toward the river. Nope, the bridge was too high. Besides, the water was probably freezing. Mai was glad she didn't have to swim.

So how long should she stay? Azula and Ty Lee couldn't hold Nihona's attention forever, and Mai doubted they could distract Anzi for half that time. She'd have to rejoin them eventually. Just not now.

"Mai? Mai!" She turned towards the creaking planks only to see the boy trip and narrowly miss falling in the river.

"So you did come."

Zuko looked up, smiling. "Were you worried? Of course I came." He crossed the rest of the bridge, plopping down next to her. "I knew you'd be out of your mind with boredom."

"Of course," she echoed. "So, um…" _Stupid, this is no time to be blushing!_

It wasn't like he'd notice, though. Zuko had also kicked his shoes off, leaning out and flicking fire at the water with his toes. "Hmm?"

Mai cast about for a conversation topic. "Er, how's your sword training going?"

"Bad."He scowled and kicked a longer jet of fire at the glimmering ripples. "It's like everything I try, I always end up failing."

Mai said nothing, preferring to watch the battling elements. The fire faded swiftly, and the water streamed on regardless.

"Dad's right. I should just stick to firebending."

"Oh, did he write to you?"

"Sort of." Zuko aimed at a drifting leaf, managing to burn it before it sank. "He told the headmaster not to allow me to neglect my _real_ studies."

"In those words?"

"No, the message went more like 'tell my fool of a brother to stop pampering that little idiot and make sure he's training.'"

"Subtle, isn't he." Mai let herself laugh, and Zuko joined in after a second. "You shouldn't let him get to you. So what if you're not the best?"

He gently put his hand over hers. They met each other's eyes for an awkward moment, then Zuko looked back at their reflections. "I just wish," he mumbled.

_Crash!_ Mai and Zuko flinched back as a flying boulder narrowly missed where they were sitting. It smashed through the bridge with little resistance, leaving a gaping hole.

"What was _that_?" The prince hurriedly yanked Mai to her feet. "It _can't_ be-"

Another rock splintered to their other side. The two grabbed each other for support, Zuko shielding Mai from the bits of wood.

She twisted away, eyes quickly fixed on the motion on the riverbank. "Friends of yours?"

He glared at the green-robed men swarming over the rocks. "But they were at the capital, not here! How-"

"Move!" They hit the bridge just before a third projectile soared overhead. Mai rolled over, removing a knife from her sleeve.

"Don't bother, there's too many!" _He's right_, Mai thought. _There's only one way out of this. Ugh._

Zuko had the same idea. With a nod, they both took deep breaths and plunged into the water.

**.o.O*O.o.**

Anzi didn't like to think she was spying on a private conversation. Rather, she was making sure that a wayward group member wasn't getting into trouble. Nihona couldn't find fault with that, even if she'd told Anzi to quit annoying her enemies.

"You should be welcoming the princess, not trying to start a fight," Nihona had said. Anzi wanted to protest and say that Azula had started it, but it didn't really matter. Nana would still take her side, no matter what.

She had to say, though, that bothering those three was rather fun. Maybe they considered her a nuisance, but in time, the stupid princess would go back where she came from and maybe she could make friends with Mai and Ty Lee. She'd gained a new appreciation for them in these past weeks.

Mai, for one, seemed to have very good ears. Anzi didn't think the gloomy girl had seen her, but she kept looking over her shoulder as she walked. Anzi wasn't sure what to make of that.

So she finally found a tree with a good view of the bridge and settled in to watch – not spy, watch. This was for Mai's own good. Nihona always said little girls shouldn't meet strange boys without supervision, so Anzi was doing the right thing.

Still, she couldn't quite ignore the stings of envy as she watched the two talk. The boy was kinda cute, actually, if a bit clumsy. Anzi leaned back and giggled softly.

"Make it look like an accident." _Huh?_ She peered down through the leaves, stifling a shriek. Several rough-looking men had appeared out of absolutely nowhere. Their voices were harsh, and their clothes were foreign, so the girl kept quiet, breathing shallowly and clinging to the tree.

They stomped about, then one of them gave the order to fire. Anzi gasped as one man hurled a huge stone at the bridge. Just before it hit, she closed her eyes and whimpered, imagining the crunch to be rock on bone.

More stomping and shouting, and another crunch. Then silence and tense whispers. Anzi allowed herself a peek, seeing Mai and Zuko bob down the river.

"Follow them!" someone yelled. The girl blinked and they disappeared again, as if swallowed by the ground.

_Who were those men?_ she wondered, fervently hoping they had really gone. She slowly clambered down and inspected the remainder of the bridge. There wasn't much left; Anzi picked up a fragment, rubbing the smooth end with her fingers.

_Nihona will know what to do_, she decided.

**.o.O*O.o.**

All was confusion and darkness, then Mai burst to the surface. On the plus side, the water wasn't actually too cold.

On the downside, she hadn't realized how heavy the Academy uniform was when wet. She struggled, trying to at least get the top layer off. It was no use. Her fingers couldn't undo the now-soaked ribbon.

_Just float, then. _Mai was surprised to see how fast the current was carrying her. She looked for Zuko, and he was even further downriver. At her shout, he turned around and swam against the current with marginal success. They met up near the opposite bank, still unable to reach it.

"Well, we're safe," he gasped, fighting to stay close. "Know if there's a waterfall coming up?"

She thought back over her hike up. "Not yet, but there's rapids further on.

"Great." He struck out for the bank, then gave up coughing. "How about something to grab onto?"

Mai tried to reply, but she was having her own difficulties. "Tree," she finally spat around a mouthful of water. "Up ahead."

They paddled in silence for a few minutes, Mai getting increasingly frustrated with her clothes, the river, and life in general. _They had to attack _then_, did they? _

"There!" Zuko pointed to the dark shape looming closer. He swam with renewed vigor and Mai summoned her own reserves to match him.

They each caught one of the trailing branches, thankful for something to cling to. Climbing onto the trunk was another matter, but now Mai was content to not be swimming. She let herself relax as Zuko hauled himself out of the water.

"Uh-oh." Mai looked up to see the prince shading his eyes and peering back upriver.

"What is it _this_ time?"

She couldn't hear his answer over the splashes of rocks hitting the water. Zuko dived back in, hiding between the branches with Mai. "Now what?" he hissed.

The knife-thrower parted the branches and watched the earthbenders slide down the bank. One saw her and aimed a stone the size of her head toward the tree. It snapped the branches overhead, raining wet splinters down.

"I don't know."

**.o.O*O.o.**


End file.
